


Safeguard

by Ninalb



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Internal Monologue, Realizations, Zane loves his friends, Zane-centric, before Rebooted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 05:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17400515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninalb/pseuds/Ninalb
Summary: Zane realizes how dangerous their jobs are. He vows to always protect his family.





	Safeguard

It hits him one day after an extremely close call. They had responded to a call from help from a village being attacked by a group of serpentine. He had looked over to see Cole holding his neck, blood seeping through his hands. He fought his hardest through the group of serpentine, but they swarmed him, preventing him from getting to his teammate. Luckily, ones of his teammates was able to make it over to him. A sword had gotten dangerously close to taking Cole’s life. 

Several hours later, Zane was sitting outside in the living room of the Destiny’s Bounty. He’s slouched forward, an unusual position from the ninja with the best posture. His elbows are on his knees, propping up his head which rests in his palms. Someone almost dying is one way to outline the fact that no one is guaranteed tomorrow. No one but him. He doesn’t have an organic body; he has steel and metal instead. A heart that beats numbers and code. Veins made of copper that moves electrical signals throughout his body. A hard drive instead of a brain. He isn’t human. But his best friends are.

It hits him that he is almost guaranteed to live longer than his friends. He is going to watch as they die one by one and leave him all alone. The idea is almost too much to bear. He wishes that he was human and had the luxury of getting older. It only makes him feel more alone. He is probably the only ‘living’ thing in existence to wish for such a thing. 

He promises he will protect them, no matter the cost. No matter how many dents and bangs he gets, no matter how many screws and bolts needed to be replaced, no matter how many times he has to be rebuilt. He has to protect them; there are so many things that can hurt them. And that’s if you’re a normal human being and not a doomsday-fighting teenager. His brothers fight to protect others. But if they are busy protecting everyone else, who will protect them? He has to, he is the only one capable of doing so. He is a man of steel; capable of taking hit after hit after hit and keep going. He practically can’t be killed. He is built to protect others, to protect those who he loves most. 

Years later, there isn’t a thought of doubt when he throws himself at the Overlord. He is built to protect others, to protect his family. No matter what the cost. He grips onto the golden armor, pain coursing through his system. Warning flash through his gaze, he must let go. Whatever he does, he must not let go. He loves his friends, his brothers, his family. He couldn’t ask for anything better. He would give anything to them, even his life. How ironic that he would be the first to die. The one who is practically immortal is also the first to fall. He can hear them screaming his name. He takes an odd sort of comfort in hearing their voices. He wants their voices to be one of the last thing he hears. 

Ice. So much ice. He was going to take the Overlord down with him. There would never be anything left to hurt his brothers anymore. It almost just as ironic that the one that wields the ice will also loose his life to the same element. With that, Zane is cast into the flurries of his snowstorm.


End file.
